Pavlov's Dog - Do You Act Like This?

Written by Andrew Bordeaux on Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Most of us are familiar with Ivan Pavlov and his famous Pavlov dog experiments.

To refresh you, Pavlov found that when dogs constantly heard a bell when they were fed, that subsequently, the mere sound of a bell would cause them to salivate in anticipation of their next meal (even if that bell was not accompanied by food).

Interestingly, when I recently interviewed productivity expert Laura Stack, she compared checking email to a Pavlovian response. Basically, applications like Microsoft Outlook with features like a bell sounding with every new email, or an envelope in the system tray, have conditioned people to check email far too often.

In fact, many entrepreneurs and business managers check email 10 times a day or more. Some check it constantly.

But what happens when you are checking email too often? Well, according to Stack, you are failing to complete the key tasks and projects that must be done in order to grow your business.

Successful entrepreneurs and business managers have the insight to determine the highest value uses of their time. And then they have the self-discipline to ensure that each and every day, they devote time to these uses. It is then, and only then, that entrepreneurs can grow their businesses. If not, every day they might accomplish 20 tasks, but these tasks won't help their businesses grow.

During the interview, I peppered Ms. Stack with a series of productivity questions, and received tons of great answers in return. My favorite was her six-step outline for entrepreneurs to become more productive as follows:

1. Determine what you are supposed to be working on (what has the highest value-add to your organization)?

2. Make room for those activities on your schedule (and do whatever you have to do to get it done, including scheduling meeting with yourself or working offsite)

3. Focus on achieving those things that need to be done. Don't let yourself get distracted.

4. Get organized.

5. Be disciplined. Do the things you need to do. Don't waste time on rituals like checking email, getting beverages, and socializing with co-workers in the morning.

6. Get back the attitude you had when you first started your company. By focusing on the high value-add objectives and freeing up your time from monotonous and low value-add activities, you will feel a renewed energy and excitement for your business.

To hear a clip of the interview, click the blue triangle on the player below.